MBC's decision to broadcast Disney+'s 'Big Bet' met with internal dissent

Korea Herald

02-06-2025

After airing 'Moving' in January, TV network increasingly looks to fill slots with content from streaming services
MBC, one of South Korea's leading television networks, is facing mounting backlash from its own producers following the decision to broadcast Disney+ Korea's hit original series "Big Bet," beginning in July.
The series, which stars veteran actors Choi Min-sik and Son Suk-ku, originally ran on Disney+ for two seasons between 2022 and 2023.
MBC has confirmed that "Big Bet" season 1 will air Fridays and Saturdays at 10 p.m. throughout July, while season 2 will move to a regular Sunday night slot starting in August. The series will retain its original 19+ rating, though MBC said some edits would be needed to meet broadcast review standards.
MBC said the broadcast of "Big Bet" reflects its ongoing effort to offer strategic curation of carefully selected, proven programs, adding that it aimed to broaden viewers' content choices.
However, the move has triggered significant internal dissent. A total of 53 producers and production staff from MBC's drama division recently issued a joint statement condemning the decision.
Via the statement, the producers criticized the management's push to delay its upcoming series — "Judge Lee Han-young" — originally slated for the same time slot as "Big Bet."
'The seriousness of the matter is heightened by the fact that the originally planned drama production was postponed to next year, in order to artificially create a budget surplus for this year,' the statement said.
As a result of MBC's decision to air "Big Bet," "Judge Lee Han-young," an adaptation of a popular Naver webtoon, has been pushed back to early 2026. The drama, which features a cast including Ji Sung, Won Jin-ah and Park Hee-soon, follows a judge who, after his unjust demise, returns to the past to deliver righteous judgments.
The statement accused MBC of bypassing producers in making the programming decision, and warned of a potential fallout with the series' cast.
"Due to the management's decision to schedule 'Big Bet,' 'Judge Lee Han-young' now requires renegotiation with its lead actors,' it read.
The producers are demanding a full reconsideration of the "Big Bet" rollout, the restoration of decision-making authority to drama teams, and reforms to what they call profit-centered management practices.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time MBC has broadcast content from streaming services to fill its drama slots.
In January, the network aired the Disney+ blockbuster "Moving," broadcasting two episodes every Sunday. The strategy reflects an emerging trend in Korean broadcasting, where legacy networks are increasingly looking to partner with streaming platforms to mitigate soaring content production costs and appeal to broader demographics.
The shift comes amid growing financial strain across Korea's terrestrial broadcasters. KBS has reported a cumulative net loss of 14.1 billion won ($10,228,768) over the past three years, while SBS posted an operating loss of 19.2 billion won in 2024 -- its first deficit since 2016 -- and MBC's operating profit plunged from 56.6 billion won in 2022 to 6.6 billion won last year.